Taylor Tooling Group LLC, a Walker-based CNC machining company and tool and die maker, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

WALKER — Taylor Tooling Group LLC, a CNC machining company and tool and die maker, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Walker-based Taylor Tooling Group is seeking bankruptcy protection while attempting to restructure its business to respond to a severe loss of profit, according to filings on Friday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan.

James “Jim” Taylor, a managing partner of Taylor Tooling Group, said in an affidavit filed with the court that the company has “significantly reduced its workforce” while refocusing sales on “a more profitable sector of operations.” The company intends to use the provisions of Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize and to pay a percentage of unsecured claims owed to vendors, he said.

According to court filings, the company has $1 million to $10 million in liabilities and $500,001 to $1 million in assets. Taylor Tooling Group estimates that it has between 50 and 99 creditors.

Taylor owns a 50-percent interest in Taylor Tooling Group, with the remaining interest held by Thomas Taylor, Jr.

The bankruptcy filing comes after “a series of forbearance agreements” with the company’s primary creditor, Harbor Springs-based First Community Bank (FCB) — the most recent of which extended the maturity date of a loan to Feb. 23, 2019.

Taylor Tooling Group owes FCB approximately $364,016 for a secured loan.

After receiving the loan from FCB in 2014, Taylor Tooling Group’s manufacturing business continued to decline, leading to a loss of $2 million in gross sales between 2017 and 2018, according to Taylor. In response, the company laid off employees and attempted to consolidate its business, per court filings in the case.

Taylor believes “the liquidation of the company with the attendant loss of employment and any chance for payment to unsecured creditors is unacceptable,” according to the court documents.

Additionally, the court documents indicate that Taylor Tooling Group owes approximately $184,000 in tax obligations to the federal Internal Revenue Service, the state of Michigan, and the city of Walker.

Much of Taylor Tooling Group’s remaining debt is owed to other companies in the region. Among the top unsecured creditors are Walker-based Precision Wire EDM Service Inc. ($81,973), Walker-based Midway Machinery Movers LLC ($19,500), and Grand Rapids-based Ajacs Die Sales Corp. ($15,134).

A meeting of creditors in the case is scheduled for 2 p.m., April 24 at the U.S. Trustee’s office.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge Scott Dales is presiding over the case. Taylor Tooling Group is represented in the case by Grand Rapids-based law firm Keller & Almassian PLC.

Neither the law firm nor executives at Taylor Tooling Group responded to requests for comment at the time this report was published.

After 25 years representing manufacturers in Lansing through the Michigan Manufacturers Association, President and CEO Chuck Hadden is retiring at the end of 2019. He took over leadership of MMA at a nadir for manufacturers, when the fate of the auto industry and its supply chain was a big question mark looming over the state.

After 25 years representing manufacturers in Lansing through the Michigan Manufacturers Association, President and CEO Chuck Hadden is retiring at the end of 2019. He took over leadership of MMA at a nadir for manufacturers, when the fate of the auto industry and its supply chain was a big question mark looming over the state. As their fortunes improved, he also helped champion sweeping tax reform that put Michigan’s manufacturers on a more competitive footing with companies in other states, a move Hadden counts as one of his proudest achievements. He sat down with MiBiz to talk about what’s next for the MMA and its 2,000 members.

As you dig into your last year at the MMA, is there anything still keeping you up at night?

I wanted to put the association and the board of directors in the best shape possible to make the best pick they can. I can’t control that pick, but I think they’ve gone through a good set of candidates as they’re trying to reach a decision of where they want to go with the association. I still worry about them making the right decision, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

What qualities do you think the next CEO needs to have?

I think you have to understand the state Legislature and be involved in that. You have to understand the association business. The nonprofit side of the business is important to understand. You have to have a creative mind to come up with and be on the lookout for new services and understand what could help manufacturers. I don’t think you necessarily have to know everything about manufacturing, but you have to want to learn about manufacturing and what’s keeping them up at night so you can be an effective advocate for them. You also have to take on the persona of the face of the association. You have to have an outgoing personality, be in front of people and be willing to speak, be involved, and be interviewed.

Is there anything from your background that made the job a little easier for you?

What it made it easier for me was that I was around manufacturing for so long that I could speak the lingo. I knew what was going on in their shops. I knew when the things were good. I knew when things were bad. And I felt that they felt comfortable opening up to me and telling me what was going on and how they were growing or what they needed to grow. That gave me an opportunity to be successful in what I’m doing here.

When people look back on your 25 years, what do you think that they’ll remember?

Oh, wow. I hope they remember some of the legislative victories that we helped put together. Tax reform was probably the biggest victory we had for a long time, until we got the personal property tax exemption on the ballot, and then won a successful campaign for that. It’s probably the biggest accomplishment this association has ever done. It was a half a billion dollar savings every year for manufacturers. I hope they remember that.

I hope they remember that I was an honest guy, a fair broker. I wasn’t one side or the other politically. I was looking out for manufacturers and helping manufacturers, and that was the only party I belonged to. I also hope that they remember that the association is still going strong. In these times, associations and country clubs and nonprofits are having trouble maintaining that. We’re going strong and hope to go another hundred years or so.

How did your perceptions about the CEO role match with reality?

When I took the job as CEO, I knew the association, I knew the politics, I knew many of the people. I had that advantage. What I didn’t have (to my advantage) is starting in ’07 and at the bottom of the recession, when two of my biggest members were about to go bankrupt, and I had other members coming in to me saying if they go bankrupt, then the supplier base is going to go bankrupt. If the supplier goes bankrupt, then they’re also the supplier base for the furniture companies, and they could go bankrupt. It was a scary time. Most any plans that I had went out the window as we hunkered down and tried to save the association and make sure we saved as many members as we can.

Some people are predicting that we’re heading into another recession.

We’re looking for something in the near future. I think we’re going to have a slowdown in the auto growth. I also think that slowdown is going to be around people switching from their car now to electric or autonomous vehicles. That’s going to shake up a lot of things. … There’s a lot of questions that are going to come up. That’s going to be discussed and decided during the recession.

How do you ensure those discussions are productive?

The state has to be involved in helping those discussions go along. At the same time, if they’re going to fix the roads, let’s fix them for autonomous vehicles so that the right paint is being used on the roads so the cars can follow it properly, the right signage is being used so the cars can read it. All of that is very important in the next couple years. Maybe during that slow time, we can make sure some of that happens in the state.

What do you think is the opportunity for manufacturers here in Michigan?

The opportunity is to be on the forefront of this new coming trend. Going to your suppliers and saying, ‘Hey, we are now doing this. Does that help you get where you need to go? Or, tell us what you need to be part of this so that you survive and we survive.’ We play a role in it. We want to be part of that solution. That’s what really needs to happen right now.

In other words, companies need to be proactive instead of reactive.

You can’t sit back and just say, ‘I’m making this tool.’ That tool may go out of fashion. It may not be able to be made. We’re going to have a major disruption here. As that happens, it happens possibly in the middle of a recession or a slowdown, if nothing else. That’s the scary part. You want to be intuitive enough to be meeting with your customers and finding out what their needs are beyond just this year. What are their needs in the future?

MUSKEGON — Shifting dynamics in the automotive industry convinced family-owned Hines Corp., an industrial holding company, to seek a buyer for its Michigan Spring & Stamping LLC operations. The decision came after Michigan Spring successfully launched a new production facility in China in September 2018 in response to demands from a key customer, said George “Bud” Hendrick III, executive vice president of corporate development at Hines Corp.

The decision came after Michigan Spring successfully launched a new production facility in China in September 2018 in response to demands from a key customer, said George “Bud” Hendrick III, executive vice president of corporate development at Hines Corp.

The existing U.S. customer asked Michigan Spring, a maker of springs, assemblies, precision stampings and wire forms, to supply it with springs made in China to serve that end market, he said.

“We did that and had a successful, happy customer, and that’s making Michigan Spring a bigger, more global business,” Hendrick told MiBiz. “It also caused us to think, ‘Wow, if we have to do more of that, we’re going to outstrip our capabilities to really do that effectively. This business needs to be in the hands of a global player in the industry.’”

That realization pushed the company to engage with investment banking firm Quarton International North America, which went on to merge with Cowen Inc., to find a buyer for Michigan Spring, which Hines Corp. acquired in 2008 and paired with its American Coil Spring operations.

“We’re very pleased with that because it was about putting the business in the right hands for future opportunities,” Hendrick said.

Michigan Spring primarily serves the automotive market, but it also supplies customers in the medical, recreation and industrial sectors. The company employs 170 people across operations in Muskegon, El Paso, Texas, and in China. It generated total annual revenue of nearly $31.5 million, according to Kern-Liebers.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Michigan Spring President Tim Zwit will stay on and lead the company under Kern-Liebers’ ownership.

The Kern-Liebers family of companies includes 51 businesses globally and more than 8,000 employees, and focuses mostly on the automotive, textile and precision engineering industries. The company generated revenues of 745 million euros, or about $838 million, in its 2017-18 fiscal year, according to its website.

Peter Mendel, president and CEO of Kern-Liebers North America, said the company aims “to leverage our synergies, and further expand the product portfolio on both sides” with the deal for Michigan Spring.

Daniels, a corporate M&A attorney, noted strategic buyers like Kern-Liebers are getting more active in acquisitions, which have been dominated recently by private equity firms.

“The last few years, private equity has been so strong that usually the strategic buyers are not competitive or the best fit for the business,” Daniels said.

He expects the M&A market in West Michigan to remain strong and stable in the year ahead despite “a lot of noise” around tariffs and trade agreements.

“But none of that has resulted in a meaningful reduction in volume or a change from a seller’s market,” Daniels said. “The number of private equity firms with dry powder to put to work is strong, as is cash on strategic buyers’ balance sheets and the strategic (buyers’) pent-up desire to grow and to do things with their cash.”

Positioned for growth

For Hines Corp., the sale of Michigan Spring marked its second deal in the span of about two months. On Dec. 21, Hines Corp. sold its New Philadelphia, Ohio-based Hines Specialty Vehicle Group (HSVG), which included portfolio companies Crane Carrier Co. and Kimble Mixer Co., to New York City-based private equity firm Turnspire Capital Partners LLC.

The companies now operate as Crane Carrier Co., a designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty truck chassis, complete vehicles and aftermarket parts for specialty markets.

Hines Corp. was advised on the HSVG deal by investment banking firm Plaisance Advisors of Chicago. The company was represented in the deal by Tracy Larsen, managing partner at the Grand Rapids office of Honigman LLP.

Despite the two recent sales, Hines Corp.’s buy-and-hold strategy remains intact, Hendrick said, noting the timing of the two unrelated divestitures was “sheer coincidence.” Both deals focused on “putting the business in the right hands for future opportunities.”

“We had just won some big, promising, very attractive business for HSVG, which would require a major ramp up in the business to accommodate,” he said. “We had spent a lot of time and energy on getting HSVG to that point. While you say, ‘Great, we won some business, we want to benefit from that,’ we realize there was also a challenge there. We felt that … we needed to put it in the hands of a partner … that had experience in this industry with these kinds of customers.

“We’re buyers of businesses. We like to think we’re builders and fixers of businesses, and we certainly want to enjoy the rewards of all that effort. But we do ask ourselves on occasion, with the future challenges and opportunities, should it be in someone else’s hands?”

He expects Hines Corp. also will start to look for additional acquisition opportunities in the coming months.

“Certainly, some of our plate’s gotten cleared now that we’ve completed some transactions. My guess is later this year, we’ll decide to be more proactive looking for opportunities and then just see where the path takes us,” Hendrick said. “That’s in our DNA.”

HUDSONVILLE — SoundOff Signal, a global supplier of LED vehicle lighting, control systems, and electronic warning products, prides itself on a quarter century of “smart design” and hometown service. The Hudsonville-based company started in 1992 with a single innovative solution to a uniquely dangerous problem. At the time, research indicated that motorcyclists were inadvertently leaving their turn signals on after completing a turn, resulting in motorist confusion and leading to serious accidents. SoundOff Signal designed a device that initiated a beeping sound once the turn signal was activated, reminding the cyclist to turn the signal off once a turn was complete.

HUDSONVILLE — SoundOff Signal, a global supplier of LED vehicle lighting, control systems, and electronic warning products, prides itself on a quarter century of “smart design” and hometown service.

The Hudsonville-based company started in 1992 with a single innovative solution to a uniquely dangerous problem. At the time, research indicated that motorcyclists were inadvertently leaving their turn signals on after completing a turn, resulting in motorist confusion and leading to serious accidents. SoundOff Signal designed a device that initiated a beeping sound once the turn signal was activated, reminding the cyclist to turn the signal off once a turn was complete.

Since then, SoundOff Signal has designed and introduced products like the “wig wag,” a heavy-duty headlight flasher that cautions motorists of an oncoming emergency vehicle. It’s also developed the “GHOST,” an extremely bright, compact warning lightbar that, when not in use, “practically disappears” on the hood, grille or window of any type of vehicle, according to Marni Epstein, vice president of marketing at SoundOff Signal.

“We’re always working with the police departments, the department of transportation, campus security, private security and other agencies to find better, smarter ways to flash those lights,” Epstein told MiBiz.

Since introducing the first LED warning lights for American school buses in 2002, SoundOff Signal has also become a primary provider of OEM school bus warning lights across the nation.

In recent years, the company has graduated into designing and manufacturing the software control systems behind even safer, smarter lights.

“Back in the day, when police officers pulled someone over, they had a lot to do,” Epstein said.

Now, the recently developed software behind SoundOff Signal lights can run through a series of reactions to multiple scenarios, like engaging the correct visibility lights and sounding a unique siren, locking the vehicle and “making sure that the officer isn’t also getting blinded by these lights” when they approach a suspect.

“Our control system actually automates a lot of that stuff so (the police officer) is not pushing buttons and switches and putting codes in,” she said.

After “doubling” in sales and growth every five years for the past quarter-century, according to Epstein, SoundOff Signal is investing heavily in infrastructure, equipment and personnel. Last month, the company announced an expansion of its Hudsonville headquarters after taking over a recently purchased 31,000-square-foot building within the same industrial park as its existing facility. The new space will house sales, customer service, finance and I.T. as well as serve as the central warehouse.

The company plans to begin operations in the new building this month.

SoundOff Signal’s expansion comes during a period of rapid growth and innovation in the LED lighting industry, said Epstein.

According to a recent research report by Global Market Insights Inc., the automotive lighting market is set to exceed $40 billion by 2024.

The study predicts demand from OEMs to increase for advanced LEDs and laser-based light modules for both safety and aesthetics. Simultaneously, the popularity of intelligent lighting technologies in commercial vehicles, such as situation-based light control and driver assistance at night, create further growth opportunities in the market.

According to the firm, the automotive lighting industry is fragmented with the presence of “small players” and large established enterprises that possess significant purchasing power and have strong partnerships and collaborations with the suppliers and OEMs.

According to Epstein, even though a lot of entities in the industry make “lights that are very comparable to each other,” SoundOff Signal sets itself apart from its competitors through a commitment to customer service and relationship building.

“We’ve just always been that West Michigan kind of mentality of making sure that we’re always doing the right thing,” she said.

SoundOff Signal is structured as 70-percent privately-owned and 30-percent owned by employees through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

“That really gives people an opportunity to come into a company and be an owner or part-owner,” she said.

Throughout its 26 years, and “even during the recession,” Epstein said SoundOff Signal has never laid off an employee.

“We really just believe it’s a family mentality for how we approach our business, both to our employees, but then also to our customers, as they’re an extension of our family as well,” she said.

Because of that mentality and good fortune, “a lot of people have some very impressive tenure” among the company’s approximately 350 employees, Epstein said.

Up until this month’s expansion, the entire company engineered, designed and manufactured from the same building, which Epstein said has helped SoundOff Signal develop some of the fastest lead times in the industry.

Roll covering manufacturer Vail Rubber Works Inc. plans to invest $8.3 million for a new facility in Southwest Michigan after outgrowing its longtime space in downtown St. Joseph.

ST. JOSEPH — Roll covering manufacturer Vail Rubber Works Inc. plans to invest $8.3 million for a new facility in Southwest Michigan after outgrowing its longtime space in downtown St. Joseph.

Vail Rubber tapped Benton Harbor-based Pearson Construction Co. Inc. to build the 68,550-square-foot facility in Berrien County’s Royalton Township, which created an Industrial Development District for the project, according to a statement.

The township also approved a 12-year tax abatement for the facility, where Vail Rubber is expected to create 10 new jobs. The company has been in existence for more than 125 years.

Pearson expects to begin construction on the facility in April and wrap up the project by March 2020.

Vail Rubber President Bill Hanley cited the assistance of township officials, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and regional economic development organization Cornerstone Alliance with “helping to make this (expansion) a reality.”

“Vail Rubber has been one of the most visible and successful companies in Berrien County for more than a century,” Cornerstone Alliance COO Greg Vaughn said in a statement. “They are an employer of choice due to their commitment to employee safety and consistent, steady growth. This new facility will set them up for another century of being the country’s most respected roll cover manufacturer.”

Die Tech Services Inc., a West Michigan-based manufacturer of dies and checking fixtures that also supplies contract labor to manufacturers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

WALKER — Die Tech Services Inc., a West Michigan-based manufacturer of dies and checking fixtures that also supplies contract labor to manufacturers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Die Tech is seeking bankruptcy protection while it pursues potential strategies for a return to profitability, according to filings this week in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan.

Kelly “Casey” Darby, president of Die Tech, told MiBiz the Walker, Mich.-based company aims to sell off its real estate and parts of the business in an attempt to restructure and right-size the operations.

“We’re planning to restructure the company, so we’re going to stop building stamping dies in our facility, and we’re downsizing,” Darby said.

The bankruptcy mostly “has to do with the die business” and the fact that “no dies are being released,” he said.

“It’s a slow period right now. It started slowing down last June for us. Orders went way down,” said Darby, adding the majority of the company’s business is “automotive related.”

A sale of the company’s Walker facility — owned by a related entity — is currently pending and is expected to close by May 2019, Darby said.

Die Tech put its “check-fixture business up for sale,” he added.

According to court filings, the company has liabilities between $1 million to $10 million, with assets valued at $500,001 to $1 million. Die Tech estimates that it has approximately 98 creditors, including active employees.

Darby owns a 60-percent interest in Die Tech, with the remaining 40 percent held by Ronald Bourque, the company’s vice president and treasurer.

The bankruptcy filing comes about a year after Die Tech refinanced a majority of its debt with Illinois-based Byline Bank, the company’s primary creditor — a move predicated by former primary lender Chemical Bank freezing a line of credit.

At the time, the company said monthly debt load from other high-interest loans “was putting strain on Die Tech’s ongoing cash position,” according to court documents.

Die Tech owes Byline Bank approximately $2.2 million for a loan that is secured by all of its assets and the assets of related real estate holding company, DTS Holding LLC. Die Tech leases its headquarters from DTS Holding, which is owned equally by Darby and Bourque.

After securing the loan from Byline Bank, Die Tech’s manufacturing business continued to erode, leading executives in January 2019 to hire investment banking firm Invictus Capital Advisors LLC, which sought buyers for the business and real estate.

According to the court documents, the amounts owed to Byline Bank “far exceed” the value of its assets. The sale of the building could reduce the companies’ loan obligations to Byline Bank by approximately $1 million, Darby said in an affidavit filed with the court.

A sale also would leave Die Tech without a space for design and manufacturing work, limiting its operations to providing contract labor and significantly reducing overhead expenses, according to the filing.

Darby thinks the move could help return the company to profitability.

“We may lease back part of this building from the new owner,” Darby said. “That hasn’t been determined yet, but they’ve mentioned that that is available to us.”

A significant amount of Die Tech’s remaining debt is owed for goods and services from other companies in the region. Among the top unsecured creditors are Walker-based Precision Wire EDM Service Inc. ($61,948), David Carl Machining LLC in Sand Lake ($25,771), Zeeland-based Custom Tooling Systems Inc. ($24,575), and Grand Rapids-based Ajacs Die Sales Corp. ($17,636).

Additionally, the court documents indicate that Die Tech owes approximately $480,000 in tax obligations to the federal Internal Revenue Service and the state of Michigan.

Die Tech also requested protection from the interruption of utility services and the authority to pay its 20 full-time employees back pay and benefits.

U.S. District Court Judge John Gregg is presiding over the case. Die Tech is represented in the case by Grand Rapids-based law firm Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey PLC.

Spartan Motors Inc. has expanded its dealership network in the southeastern U.S. for its Spartan Emergency Response business unit.

CHARLOTTE — Spartan Motors Inc. has expanded its dealership network in the southeastern U.S. for its Spartan Emergency Response business unit.

Under an agreement, Georgia-based Peach State Emergency Vehicles, a division of Peach State Truck Centers, is now an authorized dealer for the sale and service of Spartan ER vehicles, which includes fire truck chassis, according to a statement.

The deal allows Spartan Motors (Nasdaq: SPAR) to expand and “re-establish” its emergency vehicle presence in the Southeast, Spartan ER President Todd Fierro said in a statement.

“We look forward to working alongside this established and highly successful dealership group,” Fierro said. “Like us, they are committed to customer satisfaction and first responder safety.”

Peach State Emergency Vehicles operates from three locations in central Georgia and Alabama.

Jeff Cook, director of new truck sales at Peach State Emergency Vehicles, said the deal will allow a “major expansion of available emergency vehicle offerings” in the company’s service territory.

Holland-based Composite Builders LLC plans invest over $344,000 to more than double its manufacturing space.

HOLLAND — Composite Builders LLC plans invest over $344,000 to more than double its manufacturing space.

The company, a manufacturer serving the military, marine, energy, recreation, aerospace and architectural markets, plans to renovate 30,000 square feet of space within its existing facility at 430 W. 18th St. in Holland, according to a statement.

With the expansion, the company plans to add 15 jobs and accommodate the production of larger projects, including a new 75-foot America’s Cup sailboat for Stars and Stripes Team USA.

Composite Builders makes a range of components using advanced lightweight materials, including carbon fiber. The manufacturer said it often partners on projects with other local businesses, including Holland-based Christensen Fiberglass LLC, Zeeland-based AllRout Inc. and Plascore Inc., also of Zeeland.

“The strong appeal to us growing our business in West Michigan is in the sense of community, economic growth, and forward thinking for the aerospace and manufacturing industries,” Composite Builders CEO Brian MacInnes said in a statement.

Zeeland-based economic development group Lakeshore Advantage Corp. connected the company to local and state resources and incentives, including a 12-year tax abatement from the city of Holland.

“Composite Builders is a shining example of the engineering and innovation that occurs in industry along West Michigan’s lakeshore region that continuously makes final products better, faster, stronger, safer,” stated Jennifer Owens, president of Lakeshore Advantage.

Floor care product company Bissell Inc. plans to invest $10 million into an expansion project at its corporate headquarters.

WALKER — Floor care product company Bissell Inc. plans to invest $10 million into an expansion project at its corporate headquarters.

For Walker-based Bissell, the expansion comes amid a period of sustained revenue growth and additional employees at its offices, located at 2345 Walker Ave. NW, according to a statement.

The company, which currently employs 490 people in West Michigan, ran out of space at the facility, and plans to use the 25,000-square-foot addition for offices. The project will make way for about 100 new jobs, the company said.

“Grand Rapids, and it’s [sic] healthy business environment, have been integral to Bissell operations for over 140 years,” Bissell Chairman and CEO Mark Bissell said in a statement.

Bissell considered spreading the positions over other existing sites in Illinois and North Carolina, according to a statement from The Right Place Inc., which helped the company access state and local incentives. They include a $500,000 performance-based grant through the Michigan Business Development Program, which is administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Opus Packaging Group Inc. is continuing the expansion of its packaging facilities portfolio with the acquisition of a fourth company, Wabash Container Corp. of Illinois.

CALEDONIA — Opus Packaging Group Inc. is expanding its packaging facilities portfolio with the acquisition of a fourth company, Wabash Container Corp. of Illinois.

Kevin Manor, owner of Caledonia-based Opus Packaging Group, told MiBiz the company “was actively looking to expand” its manufacturing footprint throughout the Midwest.

“We found a strategic fit with Wabash Container’s manufacturing capabilities and culture of treating their associates like family,” he said.

Wabash Container, a 25-year-old corrugated sheet conversion plant, is headquartered in Mount Carmel, Ill. Since 2006, it has been under the family ownership of Steve and Leann Burton. Steve Burton will become an employee of Opus and continue directing day-to-day operations at Wabash Container, according to a statement.

Wabash Container currently employs fewer than 50 people while operating out of approximately 90,000 square feet at one manufacturing facility and two offsite warehouses.